This course introduces major world religions and the scholarly methods of the academic study of religion. Religions covered may include Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam and/or New Religious Movements. Meets New Mexico General Education Curriculum Area 5: Humanities.

Studies in major religious figures or movements. Topic varies.

This course introduces major world religions and the scholarly methods of the academic study of religion. Religions covered may include Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam and/or New Religious Movements. Meets New Mexico General Education Curriculum Area 5: Humanities.

An introductory study of the structure and content of the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures. This class provides the context and reading skills for study and investigation of the Bible and its influence upon western culture and religion.

Introduces students to how people’s religious beliefs and practices influence their perspectives on health and their approaches to medical care and treatment. In units arranged by religion or region (North American indigenous religion, African religion, Hinduism, Chinese religion, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam), students will learn how religious beliefs and practices relate to rites of passage, sexuality, women’s health, diet, mental health, trauma, and end of life issues. In addition to assessing students’ knowledge of the relationship between religion and perspectives on health and medical care and treatment, course assignments will raise students awareness of how people with different worldviews interact. Course requirements or activities also will teach them how to evaluate their own biases and how to assess the biases and credibility of various sources of information about religion, health, and medicine found on the Internet and elsewhere.

This is a survey course that will cover major religious traditions of the West, including the three Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) and other religious systems. The course will focus on how each tradition has developed historically and how it exists in the world today. Meets New Mexico General Education Curriculum Area 5: Humanities.

(Also offered as AFST 303) Students will be introduced to the Black experience, which necessitates the redefinition of God and Jesus Christ in the lives of Black people as the struggle for transcendental and political freedom.

An introduction to the origin and development of mystical aspects of Islam, commonly known as Sufism. The course examines themes such as Sufism vis-à-vis Islamic orthodoxy, mystical experience, the literary heritage of Sufism, Sufi organizations.

(Also offered as CLST 321) This course examines the development of the genre of apocalypse by reading several early Jewish apocalypses before examining the lasting influence of apocalypticism in one particular Jewish sect, Christianity.

(Also offered as HIST 326/526) The history of Christianity from its beginnings in Palestine to the eve of the Protestant Reformation. Primary focus will be on the rich variety of forms-doctrinal, liturgical and institutional-that Christianity assumed through the Medieval centuries. Also of concern will be its contributions and significance as a civilizing force. {Fall}

This course examines Hindu scriptures and practices to understand how deities and their relationships with men and women, high and low castes, and the natural and social worlds have changed over time.

Studies in major religious figures or movements. Topic varies.

This class surveys classical and contemporary currents in atheism. We will consider different definitions and types of Atheism, current demographic and psychological profiles of atheists, and key atheistic critiques of arguments for the existence of God. Prerequisite: 1110 or 2120.

(Also offered as HIST 441) This class will cover the rise and development of the nation's religious groups, from first contact to the present day. The focus will be on the social impact of the groups and how they influenced the development of American life.

Faculty-supervised individual study in an area of special interest not readily available through conventional course offerings. Restriction: permission of program chairperson.